FOLLOW HOCKEY INSIDER

NHL: Notable No. 3’s (part 1 of 2)

MIKE FOLIGNO – RW – 1979

Picked by the Detroit Red Wings in 1979, Mike Foligno played 15 seasons in the NHL with the Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Florida Panthers. He set career highs in 1985-86 with the Sabres when he scored 41 goals and added 39 assists in 79 games. The Sudbury, ON native finished with 727 points (355G, 372A) in 1,018 career games. Foligno is known for his signature “Foligno Leap” goal celebration, a tradition which has been repeated by his two sons, Nick and Marcus, who both play in the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild, respectively.

DENIS SAVARD – C – 1980

Hall of Famer Denis Savard was selected in 1980 by Chicago, and would reach the 100-point plateau five times between the 1981-82 and 1987-88 campaigns. In the summer of 1990, Savard was traded to the Canadiens in exchange for Chris Chelios and a second-round pick. A native of Pointe-Gatineau, QC, Savard was out with an injured foot when the Canadiens won the Stanley Cup in 1993, though he picked up five assists in 14 postseason games that year before going down. The centerman would go on to play 1,136 games with the Blackhawks, Canadiens, and Tampa Bay Lightning, recording 473 goals, 865 assists and 1,338 points over 17 seasons.

PAT LAFONTAINE – C – 1983

Selected by the Islanders in 1983, Pat LaFontaine would enjoy six 30-plus goal seasons with New York – including 54 tallies in 1989-90 – before he was traded to the Buffalo Sabres in October 1991. LaFontaine would set a Sabres franchise record for points with 148 (53G, 95A) in his second season in Western New York. Injuries would start taking their toll on the St. Louis native, but his determination to play through them earned him the 1995 Bill Masterton Trophy. LaFontaine would finish his career in 1997-98 with the New York Rangers, having amassed 1,013 points (468G, 545A) in 865 games. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2003.

EDDIE OLCZYK – RW – 1984

Taken by his hometown Blackhawks in 1984, Eddie Olczyk played 16 seasons in the NHL with Chicago, the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, and Pittsburgh Penguins. Olczyk scored his first NHL goal in his first game, and would find the back of the net 342 times and add 452 assists in his 1,031 career games. He won the Stanley Cup with the Rangers in 1994.

SCOTT NIEDERMAYER – D – 1991

The top-scoring rearguard among third-overall picks, Scott Niedermayer was taken by the Devils in 1991, and would play 13 seasons in New Jersey, serving as captain in his final year there. Niedermayer won three Stanley Cups with the Devils – in 1995, 2000, and 2003 – and won the Norris Trophy in 2004. He joined his brother, Rob, in Anaheim, and won the Cup again with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007. He picked up the Conn Smythe Trophy that year as well. Niedermayer retired following the 2009-10 season with 740 points (172G, 568A) in 1,263 career games.